Wednesday March 12, 2014Gators Walk Off Twice to Sweep Mercer in Midweek Doubleheader

Gator
Softball earned two walkoff wins Wednesday in a doubleheader sweep of Mercer.
Florida (26-1) took the first game 8-0 (5 innings) and won the second contest 1-0.
Senior Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) improved to 10-1 with a shutout
in the opener, and freshman Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.) earned
the win in the second game to run her record to 10-0 on the year.

The
Orange and Blue got things started in Game 1 when Briana Little (Middleburg,
Fla.) singled in the second, stole second base and stole home two batters later
on a double-steal. Florida added two more runs in the third inning on a two-run
single by Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.) that brought in Lauren
Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) and Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.).

Taylor
Schwarz (Palm
Beach Gardens, Fla.) led off the fourth with an infield single, and came home
on an RBI single by Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) to make the score 4-0.
In the fifth, Chelsea Herndon (Carrollton, Texas) hit a ground-rule
double to right-center to start the inning for Florida, setting the table for
Tofft to drive in Herndon on a run-scoring base hit. Francesca Martinez (Centreville,
Va.) entered the game as a pinch-runner for Haeger, and UF added another run in
the frame when Martinez scored as Tofft was caught stealing. A bases-loaded infield
single by Justine McLean (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) made it 7-0, and the
Gators won the game on a walkoff walk by Stewart.

After
the mercy-rule victory in Game 1, the nightcap was a pitchers’ duel. Gourley
and Mercer’s Julia Rice both fired blanks for six innings before the Gators
broke through with a run in the seventh.

The
Gator lefty battled throughout the game, stranding runners in four of the seven
innings. Gourley got a heads-up play from her defense in the first inning when
Stewart alertly threw home to erase Mercer’s leadoff hitter, who had singled
and advanced to third on another base hit. The key decision by her shortstop
allowed Gourley to keep the game at a scoreless tie until Florida’s
seventh-inning heroics won the contest.

After
Herndon led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple to right, Mercer
intentionally walked Haeger and Tofft to load the bases for Merritt. The
sophomore drew a walk of her own to give the Gators their second walkoff
victory of the day.

NOTABLES

·Both
games ended on a walkoff walk.

·The
Gators stole five bases in Game 1, marking their third game this season with
five or more steals (7, March 2 vs. Radford; 6, Feb. 16 vs. Minnesota).

·Little
(2x3, 2 R) recorded her first multi-hit game of the season in the opener.

·Stewart
(1x3, BB, 2 RBI) posted her ninth multi-RBI game of 2014 in the first game,
pulling into a tie with Haeger and Tofft for the team lead.

·Gourley
ran her scoreless streak to 27 innings with a shutout in Game 2.

·Haeger
had her hitting streak snapped at 12 games after she went hitless in Game 2.

WALTON’S WORDS

Head Coach Tim Walton

On Herndon’s leadoff triple that led to
the only run of Game 2:

“She put a good swing on it. She had good
swings all day long. She put a charge into a ball early in the game into
right-center. The reason she’s playing is that she’s making things happen.
She’s been fun to watch. [I’ve] got her a lot more at-bats at the top of the
lineup, and she’s been doing a good job.”

On the performance from Rogers and
Gourley today:

“[They were] good. Delanie got her strikeouts
when she needed to, and showed poised [by] making some good pitches, and Hannah
did the same thing. We had some opportunities in the first game to let our
guard down and give up runs, and Hannah stepped up and made her pitches.
Delanie did the same thing in the second [game]. She was throwing her rise ball
pretty well and getting good strikes early in the count. I thought they both
pitched really well today.”

On facing an LSU team that many Florida
players haven’t seen:

“I don’t know if we really care about who
we’ve seen or what we’ve seen. We know we’re going to LSU—it’s a tough place to
play. It’s a great team. It will be a crazy environment—we’ve played some great
ballgames there. They’ve got a tradition-rich program. It’s going to be tough,
no matter if our players have seen them or not seen them. They’re a good team,
and they’ve beaten some really good teams this year. It’s going to be tough for
us on the road. They’re going to be ready to go.”

PLAYER QUOTES

Freshman
LHP Delanie Gourley

On
her performance in Game 2:

“I
think I did pretty well tonight. There’s always stuff to work on—little
adjustments here and there, but overall I did pretty well.”

On
if she felt pressure to get outs since the offense didn’t score for the first
six innings:

“I
always try to shut out the other team, every inning and every pitch. I knew all
game that my team was going to have my back sometime in the game. I wasn’t
worried. Even if it is the bottom of the seventh on a walk; if that’s what it
takes to win, that’s fine.”

On
how her fielding is improving:

“It’s
improving a lot. We’ve been working on it a lot at practice. They’ve been
trying to get a lot of balls past me, and I’ve been doing my best to stop them.
I think it showed in the game.”

Freshman
UT Chelsea Herndon

On
her triple in the seventh inning of Game 2 that led to the winning run:

“I
really wasn’t trying to hit a home run or anything. I was just trying to get on
base [and] start the team. Lauren was coming up next. I was just trying to get
on base and get the energy going.”

On
getting more playing time and starting more regularly:

“It
feels great. I’m working hard, giving it all I’ve got. I’m taking every
opportunity that I can.”

On
playing in the infield today after playing more in the outfield in previous
games:

“It moves much quicker in the infield. In the
outfield, you have time. There are more pop flies in the outfield. I’m just
learning to adjust. I’m willing to go wherever the team needs me.”

The Gators will travel to Baton Rouge, La.,
this weekend for their first SEC road series, a three-game set against LSU.
Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. (all times Eastern), followed by an 8 p.m.
start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. GatorVision will have live video of Friday’s game for subscribers;
CST will carry the contests on Saturday and Sunday. Radio coverage will be available
on WGGG (1230 AM), with Mike Gillespie and
former Gator All-American Megan Bush on the call.